by our College Data Analytics Team
[Animal Behavior & Ethology](/majors/biological-biomedical-sciences/zoology/animal-behavior-and-ethology/) degree programs vary widely in price and payoff across the country. A high-value program keeps cost low while graduates go on to earn well.
For its 2026 best-value ranking, College Factual looked at 1 schools to find the best return on investment for animal behavior & ethology students.
What’s on this page:
Below are the schools that deliver the strongest value in animal behavior & ethology, balancing cost against outcomes.
Eckerd College earned the #1 spot for value among animal behavior & ethology schools in the Southeast Region. Eckerd College is a mid-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of Saint Petersburg. In-state tuition and fees average $51,884. Typical student debt for animal behavior & ethology graduates is $25,559. Early-career animal behavior & ethology graduates make about $28,012. That is a strong return on a $25,559 median debt. Roughly 76% of applicants are accepted.
This list is compiled by College Factual (MF_RANKING_2025), 2026 edition. Schools are scored on the balance of cost (tuition and student debt) against student outcomes (post-graduation earnings) — a measure of return on investment, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Ranking method: College Major Best Value · 1 school evaluated.
*Averages shown above reflect the top 1 ranked schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.